A Brief Guide to Star Trek

group, those who might leap before looking, whose actions are driven by instinct and feelings. Among this latter group are (of course) the ship’s telepathichalf-Betazoid counsellor Deanna Troi, and security chief Worf (whose Klingon aggression is a problem to be overcome, as was Spock’s half-humanity in the original series).
    The Next Generation
took a more sophisticated view of encounters with other species than the original series managed. In many episodes, the
Enterprise
appears to be the space equivalent of the United Nations, negotiating disputes or mediating between alien species in search of conflict resolution. This was a very 1990s obsession (following perestroika in Russia, the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the end of the Cold War), and departs from the cliché of 1960s
Star Trek
in which Kirk was thought to shoot his phaser first and ask questions later. This approach to storytelling was even reflected in the design aesthetic of the new
Enterprise
, which appeared to be an inter-galactic conference centre, with its colour schemes, décor and design all reminiscent of a public building or international chain hotel.
    Whereas Kirk emphasised human values as correct above all else, Picard and co were more respectful of life (or consciousness), whatever form it might take. A story like ‘The Devil in the Dark’ from
The Original Series
– in which a ‘monster’ threatening miners is found to simply be a mother protecting its young – would not be possible in
The Next Generation
, since the crew would not be as blind as Kirk and Spock initially are to the creature’s virtues just because of its appearance and actions. The 1960s values are replaced by Roddenberry’s oft-sought ‘perfect’ humanity, where professionalism (in exploring space and making contact with alien species) trumps human limitations (fear of the alien ‘other’) at all times.
    This is a universe seventy-five years after Kirk’s time, where the Prime Directive of non-interference in other cultures is taken a lot more seriously, at least by Picard. The Cold War idea of offering aid to countries that might be allies in the fight against Communism (or military ‘advisors’ to those who need a little ‘persuasion’, as in
The Original Series
episodes ‘Errand of Mercy’ and ‘A Private Little War’) was replaced by a moreunderstanding approach to relative cultural values, even where these conflict with the values of humanity. Changes to a civilisation’s mores or culture might be suggested by Starfleet or the Federation (embodied in Picard), but were very rarely imposed through the use of overwhelming force (or subterfuge, as might have been employed by Kirk).
    In the post-Cold War world of
The Next Generation
, the simple oppositional politics of the original series (Klingons = Russians) had to be rethought in a more complex world of mosaic-like politics, where different interest groups vied for dominance and alliances became conditional and shifting. Instead of the Klingons and the Romulans (although both featured and were further developed in the series),
The Next Generation
introduced new, more relevant antagonists such as the Ferengi, signifiers of 1980s ‘Greed is good’ (to quote Gordon Gekko in
Wall Street
(1987)) unregulated capitalism. Although intended as serious antagonists for the Federation, the Ferengi rapidly developed into comic figures (later rehabilitated in
Deep Space Nine
).
    A more serious enemy – and one not susceptible to reasoned negotiation – were the Borg. Literally single-minded (through their sharing of one hive-mind) and not open to pleas of mercy or rational debate, the Borg’s sole purpose is to conquer and assimilate other life forms in order to secure their spread throughout the galaxy. Their mantra of ‘resistance is futile’ represents their unstoppable nature. The crew of the
Enterprise-D
first encounter the Borg in the episode ‘Q-Who?’, thanks to the meddling Q, who boosts the ship to an unexplored sector of space as a warning of some of the threats awaiting humanity as they continue to expand ever outwards (echoing the purpose of Q’s debut appearance in ‘Encounter at Farpoint’). This very act, of course, brings Picard, the
Enterprise
and humanity in general to the attention of the Delta Quadrant-inhabiting Borg, making them a target. The Borg are a riff on
Doctor Who
’s 1960s cybernetic creatures the Cybermen, whose ‘You will be like us’ catchphrase and